Massey expands worldwide education

Massey University has
announced major new plans to develop the international
education market under the banner of Massey
Worldwide.

Building on its base as one of the first
universities in the world to launch distance and online
learning, Vice-Chancellor Steve Maharey says Massey will now
expand its teaching and research activity internationally to
secure tertiary education as a major export earner for New
Zealand.

Further details about Massey Uniuversity
Worldwide will be outlined at the initiative’s launch at
5.30pm on Tueday February 25.

Mr Maharey says Massey
already attracts a large number of international students to
New Zealand, but there is a rapidly growing demand for high
quality programmes delivered by an internationally-focused
university in their own country.

“Advances in
technology mean a transformational change in education is
taking place. There is enormous growth in demand from
students for education from countries that cannot meet that
requirement themselves. Massey is well positioned to meet
this demand because of our long history of online education
and our strong relationships with many corporations,
governments and educational institutions developed worldwide
over many years.”

Massey already provides online,
face-to-face and distance education to a number of
international partners including: the MBA programme to Qatar
Airways pilots which has been tailored to have an aviation
focus; a $10m World-Bank funded project working with public
health, biosecurity experts and veteriarians in South Asia
to better manage the spread of animal-to-human diseases;
development of a Spanish language programme taught online
for Australian students enrolled at the University of New
England (UNE) in Armidale, New South Wales, with tutorials
run at UNE.

Mr Maharey says the university will now take
up the opportunity to increase its high quality, niche
educational offering to overseas students in the
university’s key areas of expertise such as agriculture,
business studies, emergency management and
design.

“Massey has been educating New Zealanders and
other international students through a flexible and blended
learning model for many years. These plans will build on
our expertise to provide tailor-made programmes to numerous
international partners, increasing Massey and New
Zealand’s international earnings offshore
substantially.’

He says Massey would also look to
further develop on-line programmes to suit international
students studying overseas; work with New Zealand businesses
seeking to expand offshore through capability building; bid
for more internationally-funded research projects and make
use of emerging technology and innovative delivery platforms
– like Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) – to extend
the university’s international reach and profile.

“We
have provided education offshore for many years and this
initiative is aimed at taking our people, their expertise
and knowledge to the rest of the world. Using new technology
we now have the technology, the experience and faculty to
deliver our programmes anywhere anytime,” he
says.

Massey University Worldwide will be launched
at 5.30pm on Tuesday February 25, level B of Te Ara Hihiko,
The College of Creative Arts building, Block 12, Tasman St,
Wellington campus. Parking is at Entrance E on Tasman
St.